It was a dank and dark Monday night in Southend, everything about it said ‘tough gig’ Bolton’s Jordan Allen supporting The Sherlocks. From the opening notes of ‘Dancing In The Dark’, it’s clear that Chinnerys stage was being owned by one only act tonight.
Allen is still finding his feet, has an array of influences, ranging from Little Man Tate to Courteeners to Fat White Family. However, what shines through is their confidence, ambition and remarkable ability to play at such a young age.
New single ‘110 Ways To Make Things Better’, is played with great spirit and, by the time Allen snarls the great lyric ‘you got to resurrect your reputation’, the Essex crowd is clearly on board with their dogma.
’Rosie’, didn’t garner the interaction they were after but, a bellowing Brixton Academy looms for this infectious indie number. They ended on ‘Helter Skelter’, which, has set opener written all over it once they established. The Strokes-esque guitars are begging for a beer lobbing frenzy.
Standing out a mile was former single ‘White Lines’. How can a man so young produce something so brooding and accessible? It takes the darkness of Fat White Family and morphs it with the psyche-punk that shone so brightly for Oasis in their formative years.
This obviously early days for Allen and his band but, the spotlight is there for the taking as long as the focus remains.